To Elope or Not to Elope… That is the question

The biggest confusion that I have found in the wedding industry is the idea of elopement. Around the 1990’s (you know the poufy bangs and ironed hair as in ironed with a clothes iron on a ironing board, those 1990’s, poufy wedding dress sleeves were in there too) weddings either were a thing for really rich people who had the ceremony at a church and the reception was a lavish affair at the country club OR it all happened at the church. I yawned on that last one. The true elopement was going down to the courthouse and having the justice of the peace utter some boring words, you sign some papers and move on down the road because the wedding wasn’t necessarily something to celebrate. There is a whole million different types of weddings and combinations of options nowadays. And why have trillion when you can have a million? I do mean million. Brides are having destination weddings during which a small group of the family basically turns the vacation into a wedding ceremony and a lot of the time the bride comes home and later does a less formal reception to, wait for it…. get gifts. There’s also the option of a wedding ceremony at a church and then a reception to follow at a venue. There’s what we do primarily at Lakeside, the whole shebang at our place, ceremony reception, all in one spot so you don’t lose guests in the transition from ceremony to reception. It’s also a much easier option for brides because she and her gals get ready on site and there’s no traveling. Then there’s a true elopement. This is the scenario where no one goes along but the officiant and the photographer. The couple may hike to a location, say a few words and take some photos then they’re off to live their lives together. No fuss, no muss, just photos and beautiful secluded scenery. We offer these at Lakeside but I want to see more of them so I’m hoping this blog brings some brides who are from out of town and looking for the perfect spot to get dressed, no hiking unless they want to afterward, and get married then take some epic photos with our amazing shoreline at their feet. A true elopement is about bonding as a couple without any distractions. We all have Aunt Linda or Momzilla who will horn in on our special day and for some brides elopement is the perfect answer to this. Sometimes my brides forget this very important detail: It’s your day. Make it what you want. If you want a short dress with converse shoes and your groom to be in board shorts, do it. Own it. Love it. Love each other.

All brides are our thing. Even the ones who don’t want a whole day of wedding shenanigans. We’re ready if you want to spontaneously get hitched, officiant and photographer on site.